The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division/SAMU (Service d’Aide Médicale d’Urgence) was created in 2007 with the main purpose of managing various sets of life threatening emergency conditions in the out of hospital environment during primary medical evacuation and inter-health facilities transfers.

The EMS division is responsible for covering all emergencies for the three districts in Kigali City. Currently, SAMU headquarters are located at CHUK with support operations in Avega and Remera Health Centers. 

Since its creation, the EMS division has grown its staff to better manage emergency conditions, increasing from a team of 12 staff and 4 ambulances to a larger team of 70 staff and 8 fully equipped ambulances, including one boat ambulance in Lake Kivu. 

SAMU manages the 912-communication center, which is the backbone of SAMU emergency interventions connecting SAMU teams to communities seeking emergency medical support. The 912-communication center operations range from receiving calls and dispatching field emergency medical teams to providing health information and guidance to those who are not necessarily requesting ambulance services.